FENDI 2 JOURS - CHIC AND UNDERSTATED - EVERY DAY AND EVERYDAY!

FENDI SPRING 17 RUNWAY - COLOR BLOCK EXPLOSIONIt's so exciting to see FENDI shine in all it's fashion glory this past three years.   For YEARS the brand was an afterthought.  Overshadowed (in my opinion) by the GIANT personality of Karl Lagerfeld and his affiliation with this storied house, but more so by his GINORMOUS affiliation and success with CHANEL.  In fact, Lagerfeld has been affiliated with FENDI for longer than he has been twirling tweed at Chanel.  Karl is a font of creativity yes, but for too many seasons FENDI could almost be called CHANEL LITE.  FENDI PEACOCK BLUE 2 JOURS BAG - $2,350.00 - CLICK IMAGE FOR MORE INFO / COLORS IF Chanel had wide belts, Fendi had wide belts.   If Chanel had a bag in a bag, next season Fendi - bag in a bag... and on and on and on.

Lately however, the whimsical creativity Karl has unleashed in anime and cartoon like Technicolor has caused the brand to explode with interest.   All types of shapes and sizes of accessories, and of course those famous furs!   Even Karl's likeness on a FUR key chain or bag ornament became an "IT" things.  There haven't been this many FENDI bags on the street since the companies famous #BaguetteBag helped create the concept of the "it" bag in the 90's.

Smaller brands like TULESTE took the fur pompoms and RAN with it... and now those items are "IT"s.  Love those TULESTE girls!! 

Having said all that.. the FENDI bag I'm enamored with lately is one of the most classic, conservative, and safe handbags they make.   The 2 Jour (play on words for tourjours or tous jour) - meaning everyday and always.  The bag is fantastic.  It's the perfect size (there are several), and it's just formal enough for business uptown, and just cool enough for having fun downtown.   The calfskin leather is durable enough to take a beating and honestly, it starts to look better when it's worn in.  This navy version is my friends go-to bag. FENDI 2 JOURS BAG IN NAVY - HANGING AROUND THE FRENCH RIVIERA She is cool and chic and lives in the South of France.  The bag has bopped between NYC and The French Riviera for a year now - and just gets better!    Click images to shop the latest color.   FENDI NAVY 2 JOURS BAG - GETTING SOME SUN ON THE COTE D'AZUR

SPRING 2013 HAUTE COUTURE

You might be shivering - depending where you read this, but the creative force of nature known as Karl Lagerfeld is already prepping the Spring Summer Couture collection at CHANEL.   What hint is Karl giving us with the just released invite?   We've seen Lions and Gardens and Windmills - OH MY!  Could vineyards and Vin be up next for Spring??  Stay Tuned!!

CHANEL AT IT'S BEST

SARAH JESSICA PARKER IN CHANEL RESORT 2011/12 - VOGUE MAGAZINE PH: MARIO TESTINOOne of the highlights of any luxury house of fashion is the yearly offering that they call "Resort" or "Cruise".   These historically colorful collections hit the boutiques around the middle of October and are jam packed with collectible pieces that can punch up your wardrobe for years to come.

As recently as the late 80's there were just a few items in these holiday collections.   Today however, the biggest names in fashion have turned a small concept into a full fledged runway show.   Case in point - CHANEL RESORT 2011/12.    Staged at the Hotel Du Cap - Eden Roc in Antibes, the collection was colorful, playful, and sexy.   While designer Karl Lagerfeld is more comfortable with Baroque or Lady than he is with femme fatale or sexy, the proportions were sensual.

The very fashionable Sarah Jessica Parker showcased the best suit from the collection in the August issue of Vogue.  Beautifully shot by Mario Testino, the fashion spread portrayed SJP's very busy and stylish life.

The yellow silk and wool tweed skirt suit is an homage to Coco Chanel herself.   The original proportions that made her a legend in the 1920's are recreated here in 2011.   Key details - fitted sleeve and high armhole jacket (one of Coco's secrets to a perfect fit),  4 buttons and a notched lapel that flatter the torso and bust, and skirt length.  The skirt was one of Coco's most unique and stringent areas of control.   Chanel said that knees were one of a woman's ugliest features and that skirts should always cover them!  LESAGE EMBROIDERED CHANEL GOWN - ST. TROPEZ PH: JASON JOBSONInteresting to point out that it was vanity, not modesty that kept her skirt lengths a little longer.   Pockets in skirts were also a signature Coco detail.   Chanel believed that women's clothing should be just as practical and funtional as menswear.  

A Chanel suit is one of the best investments any woman can make when growing her fashion wardrobe.   Even a colorful look like this will be relevent for as long as you are wearing clothes!

As practical as a wool tweed suit is, Chanel also offers some of the most luxurious fashion items in the world.   This Summer I visited their seasonal boutique in St. Tropez.   (Afterall, when you rent a multi-million dollar Villa and spend a fortune designing it to be a boutique, you can hardly call it a "pop-up store").   

Of all the beautiful items, one dress stood out.    A long sheath completely hand embroidered by the House of Lesage was the most striking piece in the boutique.   To look at a dress like this, and to know that the artisans at Lesage spent hours and hours and hours creating this floral landscape, makes it a true work of art.   To think that the lace fabric was then sent back to the house of Chanel, where the artisans of the Atelier then spent many more hours - cutting, fitting, sewing, and finishing this beautiful dress.   An item like this is one of kind - even if many are made, no two are alike, due to the hand finished nature of the piece.   It is this type of Savoir Faire that is present in every item stamped with the word CHANEL. 

Click any of the images above to view the latest Chanel RTW Collection.  Bon Voyage!

STELLA McCARTNEY PAINTS THE TOWN- "YES"

STELLA McCARTNEY-S/S 2010 - PHOTO: MARCIO MADEIRAAt least that is what the colorful backdrop painted by Trey Speegle spelled out at McCartney's show this week.   This subtle message, and the collection that followed, made it evident that Stella McCartney is in an upbeat mood for Spring 2010.   There were casual day looks and flirty, colorful pieces to wear at night.STELLA McCARTNEY-S/S 2010 - PHOTO: MARCIO MADEIRA

Something changed in Stella during the last 2 years.   Motherhood has definitely matured her tastes and her approach.   There is a marked difference in these collections.   Fall 2009 had serious but sexy lace pieces, and now Spring 2010 is blooming in colorful prints with flamenco ruffles that take you away!    It is the sophistication level that has changed.   Like great art work, harder to explain in words, but something you can just feel.  

McCartney first made a name for herself at the House of Chloe, succeeding Karl Lagerfeld as he ended his second stint at Chloe.  Karl helped put the house on the map in the 70's.  Stella burst onto the scene with the, then new, approach of mixing tailored suiting with soft, feminine items.  I was at those first Chloe shows in Paris and the collections were exciting and fresh.   As strong as those original suits were, this Spring 2010 Collection is stronger.  STELLA McCARTNEY AGAINST TREY SPEEGLE'S BACKDROP

Stella has matured in other aspects as well.  Each season, she has her runway backdrops painted by an artist whose work she appreciates, many times incorporating the work onto the invite to the show.   Also, there are contracts for several different collections that add another dimension to Stella McCartney as a brand.   The one- off collection for H&M, the new children's collection for GAP, and of course her ongoing collection for Adidas (All Day I Dream About Stella).   

Most Kudos should be given for her refusal to use leather in any of her collections of RTW, Accessories, or shoes.   A strict vegetarian, Stella has never budged from her stance on the issue, which is VERY difficult for any fashion house that is growing a business internationally.    Reason being, there are far fewer customers who can appreciate the value of a designer shoe, if it is not leather.

Physically, McCartney has changed as well.   Gone are the chubby cheeks of her youth.   In their place, motherhood has given her cheek bones!  Also, a lean, sinewy figure that suddenly makes her tiny frame seem 10 feet tall on the runway.    When she started at Chloe,  there was so much talk of her young age and baby face.   Well, make no mistake, Stella McCartney is all grown up.   After all, she is a wife, a mother, and at the helm of an international fashion house - that's not kid stuff!

To see the full collection, visit - STYLE.COM